The workers united, will never be out-eaten

Steerpike is back in this week’s edition of The Spectator. With union barons in the news, it’s the perfect time to reveal their expensive tastes:

The wine waiters at Claridges are taking a keen interest in the investigation into malpractice in Falkirk. And they’re hoping that Unite will be fully exonerated. Len McCluskey likes to celebrate political victories at the hotel bar with a glass of pink champagne. His most recent visit was in July 2011 after Rupert Murdoch’s ‘humblest day of my life’ admission before a Commons select committee. McCluskey toasted the press mogul’s self-lacerating words by downing a bottle of pink fizz with his old mucker Tom Watson. As they say, nothing’s too good for the workers to subsidise.

Red Len is not the only champion of the workers with a penchant for London’s finer watering holes. Who can forget those wonderful pictures of Tube strike agitator Bob Crow sinking the Chablis at Scott’s a few years ago? What’s £650 for lunch with the Brothers.

Comrade Crow sticking it to the bourgeoisie. Picture: Dan Charity / The Sun

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Name me one journalist anywhere who’d have said no to a glass of free fizz, poured from that self-same bottle of pink on the day of Murdoch’s pie-ing, paid for from the workers’ dues…

Thought not.

Jimmy Sands

“His most recent visit was in July 2011 ”

So a regular then?

hew36

strugging with discuss, but I have to say I agree with john_page:
the whole premise of this article is at worst vacuous and best childish
spectator is better than this (and I say this as a lifelong conservative voter)

Bob can dine there because he’s thrifty. He doesn’t waste his six figure salary on a mortgage as he lives in a lovely subsidised house reserved for low-income families.

Nothings too good for the workers!

allymax bruce

Labour, Ed Miliband, the official Labour Party, have disowned their core vote now; the working class. Labour have officially announced they no longer want an equal relationship with traditional union members; Labour has officially disowned all working class union members.
The Labour Party are now official enemies to the trade unions, all union members, and the working class.

Matt

Can you hear yourself?
Ed clearly stated in his speech that he wants more Union members to become more involved in the party and to consciously declare support for the party with the political levy.

allymax bruce

In other words, pulling the rug from under the ‘union executive’ !
Ed Miliband is foisting his own clause 4 moment on the unions. But Miliband is more ruthless & malicious to the unions in wiping out their leadership. We are now witnessing the total disenfranchising of the unions as a power-block; we are witnessing Ed Miliband functionally taking complete control of union block voting; with no recourse to accountability to union members.
Labour, are now the Party of Winston Smith!

http://www.facebook.com/SyG21 Simon Gothard

And this is news to you?

milliboot

He has been forced in to saying that since Falkirk.Involvement of union members was never mentioned until he started to muddy the waters when that scandal broke !

http://sadbutmadlad.com/ SadButMadLad

When have Labour ever been the party for the working class. They have always been the party for the middle class who think they know best as to how the working class should live their lives, and how to enjoy themselves. They have pitched themselves to be the party of the workers and many workers still vote Labour. But only on tribal lines, and hardly ever when they think for themselves.